The best Photographs from our 2020 Photo Tours in Europe
(that never took place)

We had been so excited about our 10th year of offering Photo Tours in Europe and of course, like many of you, we have been forced to stay close to home. Our usual 4-months-long European journey has instead been replaced by daily walks in our neighborhood, growing a vegetable (“victory”) garden, long wonderful backpacking trips in the Cascade and Olympic Mountains in the fall, and more recently brisk days of downhill skiing at Stevens Pass, our local ski hill.

We have never spent so much time daydreaming of past experiences from our travels to some of the most stellar photographic locations in Europe. 

We are hopeful for a return to more normalcy in the fall of 2021 with Photo Tours to the Cinque Terre, the Dolomites, Portugal, Slovenia & Croatia, Venice, and Tuscany.

We invite you to join us on our photo adventures when it is safe to travel again but in the meantime, we’d like to share some of our favorite images from our favorite locations in Europe. If we can’t travel physically, let’s travel mentally and visually.

If you’d like to see a slideshow with photography tips and listen to our commentary about some of the images below, check out our recent webinar organized by our Slow Travel Tours colleague, Kathy Wood from European Experiences.

The Czech Republic

Climb the 186 stairs in Prague’s Powder Tour for an amazing blue hour experience.

Well worth the detour to Kutna Hora to photograph this yummy stairwell. And also a yummy lunch!

Mid-April is the optimum time to visit Southern Moravia.

Magical ?eský Krumlov.

We choose mid-April to visit the Czech Republic because of the lushness of the bright green rolling wheat fields and, if we’re lucky, golden fragrant canola in full bloom in Southern Moravia. This is also a good time of the year to visit magical Prague and romantic Ceský Krumlov with fewer tourists.

The Netherlands

Amsterdam is a blue hour mecca with its tranquil canals and wonderful architecture.

More blue!

Just north of Amsterdam, the Beemster region offers vast fields of flowers.

The Cube Houses. Rotterdam.

Most of Rotterdam was destroyed in one day in WWII but some of the nearby areas were untouched.

Kinderdijk. So worth the visit. Amazing place to photograph these stately windmills.

Zaanse Schans, otherwise known as the cheese farm which is much easier to pronounce. Just north of Amsterdam.

Only open for a few weeks in the spring, Keukenhof Gardens are simply amazing.

The Netherlands was meant to be an exciting new photo tour offering in 2020. It was a big disappointment that we were not able to share this beautiful country with our tour clients but we look forward to returning in 2022. Again, we chose April for this photo tour to coincide with the amazing tulip blooms throughout the country, especially at the annual Keukenhof Gardens flower exhibit and the Beemster region north of Amsterdam.

The Cinque Terre

The world-class view of Manarola. Grab some tasty takeout and photograph the evening blue hour.

The Rock during the evening blue hour in Monterosso al Mare.

Could not resist this cliché Cinque Terre sunset.

This would have been our 9th time leading tours to the Cinque Terre. We love the unique beauty of these five colorful fishing villages on the Ligurian coast and we look forward to returning in the fall of 2021.

Tuscany

Il Belvedere. Always hoping for early morning mist.

When possible, we time our stay in Pienza for the full moon rise over the Chapel of Vitaleta.

One of the most photographed compositions in the Val d’ Orica and for good reason.

The owner of this 45 foot across tree asked us if we “Liked his plant”.

Pitigliano is built upon ancient Etruscan ruins. Worth the 1.5-hour drive from Pienza.

Tuscany is very dear to our hearts as this was the first tour we conducted 10 years ago. With 4 courageous souls/clients, we launched Photography Travel Tours. Many thanks and gratitude to Frits, Stephanie, Cacky, and Ellen. The Val d Orcia region of Tuscany continues to be one of our favorite photographic locations in Europe, offering a plethora of amazing photo opportunities very near our 7-night home base in the charming medieval hill town of Pienza. We have a new offering this fall that includes the Chianti region to take advantage of the spectacular fall colors in the vineyards.

Venice

You want to be at this location just off of Piazza San Marco an hour before sunrise to get this image.

Sunrise from the Accademia Bridge. The evening blue hour is also great.

The evening blue hour over the Grand Canal. A magical time.

Fresh paint and fresh laundry. We so appreciate how the Burano residents care for their houses.

We love the evening blue hour in Burano but don’t forget the bug juice.

There really is no other place in the world that compares to Venice with its grandeur and crumbling charm. Yes, there are all those negative aspects that you may have experienced or heard of: Crowded, smelly, expensive, hot, buggy. We have encountered all of these at some point yet we still return year after year. Getting off the beaten paths and away from the tourist hordes allows us to discover delightful photo ops. And a 45-minute water bus ride to the north we photograph the over-the-top colorful village of Burano. Think Velvia film on steroids!

Slovenia & Croatia with a Pinch of Italy

Rovinj, on Croatia’s Istrian Penninsula.

Silky water paradise, Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia

A walk in the woods and on water. Magical Plitvice.

The evening blue hour along the shores of Lake Bled in northern Slovenia.

From our home-base of Bled, we have good access to the Chapel of St. Primoz.

We spend the night here in the tranquil hamlet of Monte Lussari. Accessed via a ski lift.

This photo tour offers some of the most photogenic areas of Croatia: Rovinj on the Istrian Peninsula and the Plitvice Lakes National Park. And the Lake Bled area of Slovenia offers yet a different kind of wonderfully photogenic locations. Recently, we added a detour to the NE corner of Italy to the last day of this photo tour (hence “the pinch of Italy”). We ride a ski lift to the top of the charming alpine hamlet of Monte Lussari where we spend the night in an idyllic mountain hotel. We love the stellar views looking into Austria and Slovenia from the solitude of this amazing mountaintop perch.

Portugal

Looking north across the Douro River with a long lens at sunrise. Porto.

The evening blue hour along the Douro River, Porto, Portugal

We like to photograph the graphic vineyards of the Douro Valley in June for this lush green.

Aveiro reminds us of a blend of New Orleans and Burano, Italy.

Lovely Óbidos is a perfectly preserved, walled, medieval village.

No shortage of photogenic doors and bougainvillea in Óbidos.

An easy drive from Óbidos is the charming village of Nazaré.

With 11 nights spent in various exciting locations in Portugual, this is the longest photo tour we offer and perhaps the most diverse. Porto, the Douro Valley, Aveiro, Obidos, and Lisbon are all places we love to visit and photograph. We choose mid-June for this tour to ensure the greenest green in the graphic vineyards of the Douro Valley.

The Italian Dolomites

The Alpe di Siusi is one of the reasons we love the Dolomites!

High above the Val Gardena, the Seceda is a magnificent massive to photograph.

In addition to mountains, we also find one of our favorite subjects to photograph…..architecture. Castelrotto, Italy.

Near Cortina, The Tre Cime is one of our favorite photographic subjects.

The Chapel of St. Barbara, Wengen, Dolomites, Italy.

We love the Italian Dolomites — majestic mountains, inviting valleys dotted with charming villages, wonderful alpine hotels and cuisine, and an amazing blend of Austrian and Italian culture. Because of the vast network of ski lifts, we easily reach stunning mountain tops. Plus, all these high altitude locations feature restaurants with local treats. Think savory alpine fare for lunch followed by the best apple strudel and cappuccino you’ve ever tasted.

Provence

The vast fields on the Valensole Plateau are the best place to photograph lavender.

Valensole Plateau, Provence, France.

The ochre tinted village of Roussillon is great for blue hour photo sessions.

This is the most exciting photography that Magrit & I have ever experienced. Hang on to your hats!

The lone runner. The Camargue, Provence, France.

Another diverse photo tour, with exciting photography locations, Provence offers vast lavender fields on the Valensole Plateau, charming French villages in the Luberon, and the white horses of the Camargue. We conduct this photo tour at the end of June to take advantage of the lavender and sunflowers in full bloom.

Jim and Magrit have been photographing professionally and traveling in Europe for the past 20 years. They started Photography Travel Tours in 2011 with the goal of educating and guiding photographers to some of the most beautiful and iconic scenes in Europe. The tours are not just about getting great photographs but also have the side benefits of doing so in wonderful environments. Great food, wine, people, and ambiance. Read more about Jim & Magrit and their wonderful photo tours here: (http://photographytraveltours.com/about/). Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.